Credit Transfer FAQ

Credit Transfer FAQ

How can I obtain my Syracuse University transcript?

The Office of the Registrar has implemented a new electronic transcript request and fulfillment process that offers advanced security features and improved efficiency and speed. Click here where requests can be made online 24/7, and you will have access to real-time, end-to-end tracking that shows when the transcript request was fulfilled and when it is received. As a result of the new process, average transcript delivery will be within hours of the request. Transcripts will be provided at a charge of $12, which helps cover the cost of the added security and other enhanced features of the new system. Requests for electronic copies do not carry an additional charge. However, there is an additional charge of $2.50 for U.S. domestic delivery and $5 for international delivery for paper transcripts. Please make sure that your final grades have been posted before ordering your transcript to avoid incomplete transcripts and the expense of ordering additional transcripts.

If my college doesn’t accept my transfer credits, has my tuition to SU been wasted?

Of course not. First of all, that credit and the educational experience are always yours. If you transfer to a different school, you may be able to transfer the credit to that institution. If you should leave college for some reason, the work you completed at SU will always be there for you. Whatever your situation, the coursework you took from Syracuse University will serve you well throughout your life.

What if my college or university will not accept my Syracuse credits?

If your college or university will not transfer your SU credits after you have: (1) sent your transcript; (2) talked with the appropriate college official; (3) shown your syllabus and course portfolio to the appropriate official(s); and (4) called our office and asked us to contact, on your behalf, the appropriate person at your school, you may need to resign yourself to the fact that some institutions, for various reasons, simply will not accept the transfer credit. But there are other ways your SU credit can be recognized by your college.

You may be able to be exempted from taking a similar required course. Or you may be placed in a higher-level course as a result of your Syracuse experience. Both forms of recognition will benefit you by allowing you more room to take courses in your major, as well as interesting electives. Since studies show that most students use their Syracuse credit to broaden their overall college experience rather than simply to graduate from college early, exemption and appropriate placement are as important as degree credit to most students. Talk with your advisor or another college official about the SU coursework you have taken. Typically, colleges will not force you to take coursework you have already completed. Your job will be to make and support that argument.

How do I seek recognition for my SU credits?

It is important that you refer to the SU courses you took in high school as “SU courses,” not as “Project Advance courses”; there is no such thing as a Project Advance course. You should bring your course syllabi or manuals, course descriptions and, if appropriate, your student portfolios from the SU courses you took, when you meet with the faculty member or college official who will make the decision about your SU credits. Course descriptions can be downloaded from the Project Advance website. Bring these with you as well.

Whom should I talk with about transfer credit?

The most important person to talk with about transfer credit is the person at your institution who has the power to make transfer credit decisions. That person varies from institution to institution. Begin by asking your academic advisor whom to see. If she or he doesn’t know, talk with a college official such as a dean or department chairperson.

Some things to remember:

The chairperson of the academic department relevant to your course may be most helpful in your effort to gain recognition for your SU coursework.

Admissions representatives usually do not have the authority to make transfer credit decisions.

Registrars typically do not make transfer credit decisions, although they may interpret and administer policies established by their academic departments or their institution’s faculty senate.

Are all colleges and universities obligated to recognize my SU credit hours?

Credit recognition remains the exclusive prerogative of the institution granting it. College policies vary in regard to transfer credit, they may be changed from year to year, and they may be applied differently from student to student.

Many factors affect the decision to accept transfer credit, including the grade the student earned in the course. In most cases, colleges will accept courses in which you have earned a C or above and which are good matches for courses you would have taken on their campus. Courses that differ from those the college offers may also be transferred, usually as elective credit. Some colleges will not give credit for a college course that also fulfilled a high school graduation requirement.

Increasingly, transfer credit decisions for some combination of degree credit, requirement exemption, and/or placement are made case by case, based on the work the student can show he or she has done in the course. Even at schools where transfer credit is not normally granted, you may be able to negotiate to have your SU coursework recognized. Keep all of your course materials, including portfolios and your syllabi, so you can show them to college officials who ask for more information before accepting your transfer credit.

When you get to your college, check with the person or office where you had your transcript sent to make sure it arrived.

Do not try to negotiate credit transfer before you have sent your transcript. Courses in which you earned grades below a ‘C’ are usually not transferrable.

If your college is reluctant to give you recognition for your SU credits, contact our office either in writing, by phone, or by email at:

Be sure to find out the reason for your college’s reluctance; the more information we have, the more helpful we can be. Although we cannot demand that another institution accept Syracuse credit, we can write letters and/or make phone calls on your behalf.